A feminine touch

More comfortable, lightweight attire and more accessories: these are the two big trends in male fashion, according to an Italian who knows about such things. Ermenegildo Zegna, chief executive of the Milan-based, family-owned company that bears his name, also suggests that men today are more female in their dress sense.

“The man is becoming more feminine in the way he notices how to put things together, how to shop for product with detail," Zegna says during a recent trip to Australia.

The fourth generation to run a business begun 100-plus years ago by his great grandfather, Angelo Zegna (whose son was the first Ermenegildo), he feels a keen need to add to the business he inherited: “A saying we have is that each generation has to build a new floor of the house."

Towards that end, he has lured Stefano Pilati back to his home town of Milan from the Paris-based Yves Saint Laurent, where he has been creative director since 2004. Pilati will begin as head of design in January, responsible for Zegna’s top menswear line as well as the company’s women’s label, Agnona. “The fact we’ve hired a Milanese is very important," Zegna says. “It’s like having an Italian Formula 1 driver in a Ferrari. It makes the Ferrari look stronger."

Zegna was one of the first western luxury brands to enter China, which it did in 1991, and greater China is now its biggest market, with 73 stores across the region. Growth has slowed, but it is still a valuable offset to Europe and its troubles. “You’re still talking double-digit growth," Zegna says. “I wish we had that in Europe."

The company has long valued Australia, arriving here in the 1970s, and using our wool since the ’60s. In celebration of the long-standing links – and at a time when other European brands are crowding in here – it is planning an exhibition, runway show and cocktail party in Sydney next April. More stores are also on the cards. “There are facets of Zegna which we want to bring to Australia," the CEO says. “It has to do with lifestyle, people who buy Zegna ... a dream."